Empire of the Wolf

"We're walking into the werewolf lair."

Writer: Neil Corry
Format: Novel
Released: September 2010
Series: DYD 16

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

There's a full moon rising and an ancient evil roams the streets. The Empire of the Wolf has begun! Can you help the Doctor and Amy destroy the werewolves before being turned into one yourself?

Verdict

Empire of the Wolf was a good and interesting read! It was my first Decide Your Destiny book for quite some time and that's no coincidence really given the nature of the series. They're quite clearly aimed at a much younger audience than I am a part of but I just couldn't help but take advantage of the resources available on the Libraries West catalogue. If there's a Doctor Who story on there, I'm not going to say no to being able to read it for free! Returning to the era of Series 5 was something I most welcomed and I thought the feel of that period of Doctor Who was pretty well captured. I thought the characterisation of the Eleventh Doctor was actually quite excellent and that made for better reading throughout. I've always found the format of Decide Your Destiny books particularly exciting and they certainly allow for a fast-paced adventure. That was definitely the case here! The story absolutely flew by but I am aware that may be down to my choices which can often result in a very abrupt or quick ending. If I'm being honest, I don't think I'd ever want to pay for one of these stories again but whilst they're in the library, and I do think most of the series are, I probably will delve into them from now on. Why waste good resources? I was a little surprised that the story only made a loose connection to Tooth and Claw given the Scottish setting but that could just have been the route my decisions took me. I was glad that none of my decisions led to the potential for an online decision as the website has been closed down now and I wouldn't want to force a decision. The second person format was intriguing and unusual and I liked how the Doctor and Amy were directly talking at us. We were involved in the story and I can see what that appeals to the younger audience. The Wolves themselves didn't appear too much but the threat of them was always present and referred to which was more than enough. I thought Lazenby was a very good character and his desire to contain the Wolf was brilliant. He really was struggling and that was rather ending. The connection with the wolf stone and the fifty seeds probably could have done with a bit more elaboration, but again that may be down to my chosen route. The ending was a little quick and abrupt but that's not uncommon to this type of story and I liked how quickly Lazenby ended things by sacrificing himself. Overall, an entertaining read!

Rating: 7/10